Monday, March 27, 2017

Episode 24:

Producing Better Radio by producing radio BETTER
Guest: TOMMY SABLAN

Radio's ONLY Hall of Fame ProducerTOMMY SABLAN

The biggest challenge in presenting TOMMY SABLAN is where to start. Seems like his shows have been on top of the San Diego morning show heap forever ─ both on TV and radio. He’s perhaps most widely know as the ‘producer’s producer’ of the famous Jeff & Jer Showgram in San Diego. There, his contributions to an uber-talented team have lead the ratings as the show has moved from station to station, time and again. Now, Jer has retired from radio and the show continues as Jeff and the Showgram, and Tommy reveals how he orchestrated the evolution without missing a beat! Tommy Sablan is the first-ever executive producer to be named to the National Radio Hall of Fame.
In this episode, Tommy shares ways ANY station or show can dominate in their market, larger or small. He also offers insights on doing the impossible: helping a show move from station to station, while GROWING the audience each time. He also has some interesting insights on this that have worked so well, the radio industry STOPPED doing them.

You’ve Got Mail

One of the fun things about the day job is getting paid to be a student of advertising. Not a week goes by without learning something new or learning something again. The ongoing objective is discovering what seems to be working and what’s somehow failing to get it done. My preference is to keep a journal and make note of what’s happening, what’s interesting. As the cool kids at Field Notes say “I’m not writing it down to remember it later. I’m writing it down to remember it now.”Before I offer a theory of the case, let’s agree we are in the business of changing behavior. Our intent is to get as many people listening as many times as possible for as long as possible at the lowest cost. We need to be included in what’s called “the evoked set”, that is, the choices which are top of mind when someone wants audio. Building an audio brand or franchise starts with getting into that evoked set and then growing share of ear to become the first preference of the set. Put simply, penetrate occasions then dominate those occasions.The most cost effective marketing tool for this task? My suggestion is that nineties throwback – email. Email continues to be the dependable workhorse of smart marketers. From savvy single location Mom & Pop merchants to global enterprises, email gets the job done. To be effective it’s a careful mix of art and science. It starts with the opt-in list. Accomplished entrepreneur Seth Godin holds what is practically a daily clinic on using email to drive engagement. You begin granular. Target a specific audience, one with a particular interest. For music shows/stations it might be an artist now on tour or one with a hot upcoming release. It may be exclusive as a genre (e.g., metal). For spoken word stations it may be listeners interested in local politics or personal finances. What can you offer the audience in exchange for their opt-in? This is the first “ask” you must get right.Mail Chimp and others offer cost effective solutions which will help you get your email marketing up and running. The key, as always, is ask for action to be taken. Provide the rationale, then, encourage to “click here to listen.” Drive tune-in!P.S. Allow me to suggest you Google “theskimm” and check it out, subscribe to get a look at it. It’s a wonderful email based enterprise which targets women. These young entrepreneurs get it. They have a strong working knowledge of how email can produce amazing results. Is your morning or midday or afternoon or night talent offering a cool email like this? Why not? You've got mail too. Use it!